May Sweeps 2011: Guest Stars, Special Events and Other Fun Stuff

May is a bittersweet time for television fans. On the one hand, May Sweeps means special events and guest stars galore for your favorite shows -- plenty of fun things to keep you glued to the set even when you really have to go to the bathroom. On the other hand, it's a month for your shows to say goodbye for the summer; sometimes forever.

So much goes on during the Sweeps period, it can be hard to keep track. Luckily, we've got a handy list to help you plan your viewing evenings and coordinate your DVR recordings. After the jump, check out the guest stars, special events, births and deaths you'll be seeing over the next month.

'Breaking In' -- Mike Tyson guests on the show's May 18 season finale.

'Castle' -- Gene Simmons, D.B. Sweeney and Dominic Purcell appear in the May 2 episode. Michael McKean guest stars on May 9 as a millionaire sponsor of a beauty pageant where a contestant is murdered.

'Community' -- Former 'Lost' star Josh Holloway will guest star in the show's two-part finale (May 5 and May 12).

'Cougar Town -- Nia Vardalos, wife of 'Cougar Town' star Ian Gomez, guests as Andy's flirty sister-in-law on the May 11 episode. In the show's May 25 season finale, Sam Lloyd will reprise his role as 'Scrubs' lawyer Ted Buckland.

'CSI' -- Bill Irwin returns as serial killer Nate Haskell in a multi-episode arc leading up to the May 12 season finale.

'CSI: Miami' -- Natasha Henstridge will appear as Agent Renee Locklear in the May 8 season finale.

'CSI: NY' -- Peter Fonda will appear as Mac's former partner on the April 29 installment.

'Grey's Anatomy' -- Doris Roberts guest stars in tonight's episode.

'Hawaii Five-O' -- Rick Springfield makes an appearance on May 2 as a fashion photographer who ends up being murdered.

'House' -- Candice Bergen returns as Cuddy's mom in the May 2 episode.

'Smallville' -- Michael Rosenbaum will reprise his role as Lex Luthor on the show's series finale.

'The Cleveland Show' -- Musicians will.i.am and T-Pain lend their voices to Rollo's friends on the May 8 episode. The May 15 season finale features the voices of actresses Emily Deschanel, Eliza Dushku and Katee Sackhoff.

'The Middle' -- Doris Roberts dons the role of Mrs. Rinsky in the May 25 season finale.

'The Office' -- Will Arnett, Ray Romano, Ricky Gervais, Catherine Tate, James Spader and Jim Carrey will appear in the season finale.

'The Simpsons' -- Joe Mantegna returns as the Fat Tony in a May 1 episode which sees him marrying Selma.

Births and Deaths

'Better With You' -- Mia and Casey decide to get married in the delivery room prior to their baby being born.

'Bones' -- While in the delivery room, Angel and Hodgins will help solve a mystery brought up by Booth and Bones.

'Castle' -- A character who's been with the series since the beginning will die in the May 16 season finale.

'Chuck' -- A member of the 'Chuck' family will allegedly perish prior to Chuck and Sarah's wedding day.

'Community' -- Shirley finally goes into labor in tonight's episode, leaving the other characters scrambling to give her a hand.

'Desperate Housewives' -- Someone will end up dead during the show's May 15 two-hour finale.

'Fringe' -- A member of the team will meet their untimely demise in the May 6 season finale.

'Glee' -- Prior to Nationals, an unexpected death will rock New Directions and the students of McKinley High.

'Law & Order: SVU' -- It looks like someone may not make it out of a shooting within the SVU offices during the show's May 18 season finale.

'American Idol' -- The 10th Idol is named on the show's May 25 finale.

Animation Domination Hurricane -- In the first weather-related, animated crossover, 'Family Guy,' 'American Dad!' and 'The Cleveland Show' will all deal with a East Coast hurricane on May 1. Postponed to a later date

'Castle' -- Castle and Beckett head to Los Angeles to investigate the death of Beckett's former partner.

'Community' -- A paintball war highlights the two-part season finale.

'Criminal Minds' -- After being fired from the show earlier this season, AJ Cook returns as JJ in the May 18 season finale before re-joining the team full-time in the fall.

'Cougar Town' -- 'Modern Family' did it last year, now the Cul-de-Sac crew heads to Hawaii in the two-part season finale.

'Family Guy' -- The Griffiths and their friends reprise their 'Star Wars' roles when they take on 'Return of the Jedi' in the May 22 season finale.

'Glee' -- New Directions finally heads to New York City and Nationals in the show's May 24 season finale.

Royal Wedding of William and Kate -- While not a Sweeps gimmick per se, the Royal Wedding falls at the beginning of the ratings period and is bound to draw many millions of viewers despite the early hour.

SyFy Saturday Movies -- Original movies during Sweeps month include 'Almighty Thor' with Richard Grieco on May 7 and 'Sinbad and the Minotaur' on May 21.

'The Big Bang Theory' -- Sheldon will end up getting a new roommate in the season finale, and it looks to be someone from the existing cast.

'The Mentalist' -- Patrick Jane will finally meet up with Red John in the May 19 season finale.

'The Office' -- Who will replace Michael Scott as the permanent manager? Find out (or not) in the season finale as a number of candidates are interviewed, including Ray Romano, Ricky Gervais and Jim Carrey.